In his plain T-shirt, jeans and trainers, Matt Jarvis looks like any other twentysomething strolling around central London on a sunny afternoon and, as he sits down and strikes up a conversation about the weather, it would be easy to forget that he is a Premier League footballer. His mood is up because the sun is out, although that can have its downsides. "I prefer playing in the rain if I'm honest," the West Ham United winger says. "I don't feel you get as tired in the rain whereas in the warm weather you seem to dehydrate and you feel like you're working a lot harder in the heat."

He pauses for a moment, considering the implications of what he has just said and remembering the arctic conditions he has had to play in during the past few months. "Of course you don't want it to be cold," he continues, "and I can't wear gloves. My mum would kill me if I was wearing gloves in a game. I'd wear them for training but not for a game." His story checks out. Jarvis is not really a gloves-on sort of guy and, other than the expensive watch on his left wrist, it is impossible to detect any flashiness about his character at all.

People tend to have preconceived theories about what a footballer must be like but it does not take long for it to become apparent that Jarvis does not fit the stereotypes. It is not a surprise to learn that the 26-year-old arrived for this interview by tube or that he failed to notice he was attracting curious glances from his fellow passengers, who were wondering why an England international, albeit one whose only cap was won as a substitute in a friendly against Ghana two years ago, was accompanying them on their journey across the capital.

Jarvis does not seem to worry too much about what other people think of him, which he demonstrated by appearing topless on the front cover of the gay magazine Attitude, in January. He was the third footballer to appear on the cover, after David Beckham and Freddie Ljungberg, and it is a subject he speaks about passionately. As far as Jarvis is concerned, it is inexplicable and unacceptable that it should be a problem for a footballer to tell the world that he is gay.

Yet a month after Jarvis spoke to the magazine, the former Leeds winger and United States international Robbie Rogers became only the second gay footballer in Britain to come out. He announced his retirement at the same time. Jarvis understands and sympathises with Rogers's decision, yet he remains baffled that it should have to come to this.

"I wouldn't say it [Rogers's retirement] took me by surprise," Jarvis says. "It just seems to be this big thing in football. I don't think it's such a big deal. In any other line of work, I don't see it getting this much publicity. It's nothing out of the ordinary. It's similar to racism. There are things that happen that should never be said. Everyone knows that it's wrong to say racist things, for example, and everyone needs to be open-minded about it.

"I got asked whether I'd like to do the magazine cover. I sat down with my wife, Sarah, and had a look and saw what it was about and came to a decision that it would be a really good thing to be a part of. I didn't realise how much exposure and hype it would get. I don't know why it's such a big issue. I've never had a gay team-mate but that doesn't mean there aren't gay footballers. In any other line of work, no one would even bat an eyelid or think to ask someone if they're gay. It's because it's football."

None of which should create the impression that Jarvis does not enjoy the sport. There are some players who would not be able to tell you which team won the league last season but Jarvis does not fall into that category. He perks up when this week's Champions League semi-finals are mentioned; and when asked about the predicament of his former side Wolverhampton Wanderers, he puffs out his cheeks and shakes his head sadly. Jarvis was part of the Wolves side relegated from the Premier League last season and he cannot fathom how they are in danger of dropping into League One. "Burnley at home, Brighton away," Jarvis says, reeling off their final two fixtures without hesitation. "I still speak to the lads there. They've got a good side."

He had to move, though, and after West Ham won promotion back to the top flight, Sam Allardyce knew his team needed more quality in the wide areas. He looked at the statistics and saw that Jarvis was the best crosser in the league last season. Sure enough, this season he has swung in 197 crosses, more than anyone else.

Allardyce got his man, striking a deal that could rise to £10.75m, which would make Jarvis West Ham's record signing. He has never been in that situation before and he can now empathise with how difficult it must have been for Andy Carroll, on loan at West Ham, to handle his £35m transfer to Liverpool. "It's hard," he says. "You didn't ask for that price tag. It's just been given to you. It just comes with football. It's great to turn round and think: 'Wow!' but it comes with a lot of pressure."

Jarvis is grateful to Allardyce for the faith he showed in him, although he admits to being scared of his manager. "Of course I am!" Jarvis says, laughing. "He's a big guy. He's got that presence. I'm only 5ft 8in … and a bit. See, we're not a team of giants."

The signing of Jarvis, along with Joe Cole's arrival in January, is a neat riposte to those who claim Allardyce is dragging football back into the stone age. Ten days ago, after West Ham had been unfortunate to draw 2-2 with Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson had been left livid by Carroll's unpunished challenge on David de Gea and described Upton Park as a "war zone". Kick it hard and chase it long. Is that the new West Ham way?

"I don't think that's ever been in the manager's vocabulary," Jarvis says. "It's unfortunate the way that people see it. You look at our players and they're not exactly long-ball players. Joe Cole always wants the ball to his feet. It's the same with Mo Diamé. It's good fun to play in this team but we have to work extremely hard. Sometimes we're not going to have the ball as much as we like, so we have to be patient.

"You've got to have different styles for different games. You have to adapt. When you're playing Swansea you know you're not going to have the ball as much as them. It's pass, pass, pass, pass. It's very difficult and they're very good at it but I think we've shown great defensive resilience."

That unity means that West Ham go into Saturday's match at Manchester City on the back of a five-match unbeaten run and in 10th place. They have rarely looked in danger of going down, despite a few blips here and there. "The manager's got to have a lot of credit for the way he's handled it," Jarvis says. "He's not panicky."

Jarvis knows where he has to improve. Last season he scored eight for Wolves but his rather flukey goal in the 2-0 win against Wigan Athletic last week was only his second for West Ham. Does it bother him? After all, Thierry Henry once claimed he valued an assist more than a goal. "I think he was lying," Jarvis says. "It's a fantastic feeling when you put a cross in and someone else scores. You think: 'I created that, I did that.' But when you score and your name's up there, you can't beat it."

For now, he is settling for the assists and against United, he created Ricardo Vaz Tê's opener with a dash down the left but his signature move is cutting on to his stronger right foot and curling a ball to the far post for the likes of Carroll to attack. Variety is crucial. "You can't be predictable," Jarvis says. "You try to keep everyone guessing. Except our players obviously."